James Reynolds – Q&A

Name?
James Reynolds

Age?
31

Where are you from?
London

How did you get started in broadcasting?
I joined the BBC’s (now defunct) Regional Trainee Scheme after leaving university.

When was that?
1997

Why News broadcasting?
It’s what I’d always wanted to do (plus, I failed abysmally with applications to become a lexicographer and a theatre director.)

Where else would have viewers seen or heard you before?
BBC Nottingham.

What is your Best on-air moment?
Covering disputed elections in Peru in 2000.

What is your Worst on-air moment?
Doing a tv piece on General Pinochet of Chile after no sleep the night before. My cameraman had a puncture and missed most of the day, my jacket disintegrated, there was a problem with the pictures so we had to together a series of epilepsy-inducing flash frames. We managed to miss the first satellite feed. We made the second feed only to be asked in horror by the producer in London What the hell was that piece ? I still go cold thinking about it.

What would you like to do before your career ends?
Would love to go to Antarctica.

What do you like to do in your spare time?
Float in the Dead Sea.

What advice would you give to anyone that would like to get into the broadcasting world?
Broadcasting is unlike law, medicine, engineering etc – no formal qualifications are needed. Nor is there any formal career path. So instead, you can just start from scratch and pound down the doors.

A big thanks to James for taking part.

Posted by on Thursday 21 May 2009
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